1 00:00:02,752 --> 00:00:04,129 [Female narrator] Along the banks of the Passaic River, 2 00:00:05,338 --> 00:00:07,549 police make a terrifying discovery. 3 00:00:08,717 --> 00:00:13,513 We're talking about large Hefty bags filled with body parts, 4 00:00:13,555 --> 00:00:15,223 roughly 65 pieces. 5 00:00:16,057 --> 00:00:18,393 We just couldn't believe what we were looking at. 6 00:00:18,435 --> 00:00:21,479 [Narrator] As the mysterious scene begins to unravel, 7 00:00:21,521 --> 00:00:25,191 details surrounding the victim emerge. 8 00:00:25,233 --> 00:00:28,486 What did the guy in the bags do 9 00:00:28,528 --> 00:00:32,991 to make him cut him up in such a way? 10 00:00:33,033 --> 00:00:35,952 There was suspicion at first that perhaps the Russian mob 11 00:00:35,994 --> 00:00:37,412 was involved. 12 00:00:37,454 --> 00:00:41,207 He had made some very, very important discoveries. 13 00:00:41,249 --> 00:00:45,378 He was considered to be an asset for the Soviet Union. 14 00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:47,881 She had quite a bit of influence over him, 15 00:00:47,922 --> 00:00:50,467 and his, his situation here in the United States. 16 00:00:51,968 --> 00:00:55,388 [Narrator] The key to unlocking this ghastly crime lies 17 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:59,267 in a tangled story of jealousy and greed. 18 00:01:00,852 --> 00:01:02,729 Things started to add up 19 00:01:02,771 --> 00:01:05,982 that something nefarious really did happen. 20 00:01:06,024 --> 00:01:07,734 [Stephen] There's a very consistent theme 21 00:01:07,776 --> 00:01:09,152 that she's very controlling, 22 00:01:09,194 --> 00:01:12,238 very manipulative, and very vindictive. 23 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,491 If she couldn't have him, nobody could. 24 00:01:15,492 --> 00:01:16,826 [music] 25 00:01:32,384 --> 00:01:33,009 [Narrator] April 7, 1996. 26 00:01:35,136 --> 00:01:38,098 It's 10:00 am on Easter Sunday, 27 00:01:38,139 --> 00:01:40,433 and officers in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 28 00:01:40,475 --> 00:01:44,479 are looking forward to a light day of patrols. 29 00:01:44,521 --> 00:01:47,732 [Richard] I had coffee with, uh, the other guys on my shift. 30 00:01:47,774 --> 00:01:49,150 And a little after 10:00, 31 00:01:49,192 --> 00:01:51,945 I headed down towards the west end of town 32 00:01:51,986 --> 00:01:54,364 towards the industrial complex. 33 00:01:54,406 --> 00:01:57,784 Since this was Easter Sunday, you know, it's a holiday. 34 00:01:57,826 --> 00:02:00,745 Very, very little activity was taking place. 35 00:02:04,541 --> 00:02:06,501 [Narrator] Officer Freeman drives through the area 36 00:02:06,543 --> 00:02:11,339 to make a routine check, and spots something strange. 37 00:02:12,298 --> 00:02:13,842 I headed down towards the river 38 00:02:13,883 --> 00:02:17,220 and that's when I came upon a powder blue car 39 00:02:17,262 --> 00:02:18,972 with the trunk open. 40 00:02:19,014 --> 00:02:22,684 As I approached this vehicle, I noticed several things. 41 00:02:22,726 --> 00:02:27,981 Number one, the front license plate was bent 42 00:02:28,023 --> 00:02:31,109 so I could not read it. 43 00:02:31,151 --> 00:02:34,154 Second thing is there were garbage bags, 44 00:02:34,195 --> 00:02:36,489 and I could see the ties, the yellow ties, 45 00:02:36,531 --> 00:02:38,908 sticking out of the trunk. 46 00:02:38,950 --> 00:02:41,494 To my left there was a dumpster. 47 00:02:41,536 --> 00:02:42,912 And I'm thinking to myself, 48 00:02:42,954 --> 00:02:48,668 if this car is backed up and it's got garbage bags in it, 49 00:02:48,710 --> 00:02:52,088 why wouldn't the person who's operating the car 50 00:02:52,130 --> 00:02:54,716 be dumping the garbage in that dumpster? 51 00:02:57,385 --> 00:03:00,513 Something was definitely wrong. 52 00:03:00,555 --> 00:03:05,852 And up from the riverbank comes a gentleman, bearded gentleman. 53 00:03:07,729 --> 00:03:12,150 He came about halfway up, stopped, looked at me, 54 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:14,444 and the fear of God was, was in his eyes. 55 00:03:18,198 --> 00:03:23,745 I unsnapped the holster just in case I had to use my weapon. 56 00:03:25,330 --> 00:03:26,498 I called him up. 57 00:03:26,539 --> 00:03:28,208 I said, "Come over here." 58 00:03:28,249 --> 00:03:30,460 And as he started walking towards me, 59 00:03:30,502 --> 00:03:32,462 I kept an eye on him, 60 00:03:32,504 --> 00:03:36,883 and I opened one of the bags in the trunk of the car. 61 00:03:36,925 --> 00:03:38,843 I look inside, 62 00:03:38,885 --> 00:03:42,806 and I see what I perceive to be human intestine. 63 00:03:44,140 --> 00:03:45,892 [music] 64 00:03:47,227 --> 00:03:49,479 I was like, whoa. 65 00:03:49,521 --> 00:03:52,857 I don't know what I got here, but it looks like body parts. 66 00:03:52,899 --> 00:03:54,776 This guy might have murdered somebody. 67 00:03:56,611 --> 00:04:01,324 I watched him come up and as he was walking slowly, 68 00:04:01,366 --> 00:04:03,743 I'm observing him. 69 00:04:03,785 --> 00:04:08,289 And he had a latex glove on his hand. 70 00:04:08,331 --> 00:04:11,334 And I also noticed some droplets of blood 71 00:04:11,376 --> 00:04:13,753 on one of his work shoes. 72 00:04:13,795 --> 00:04:18,633 I motioned him to stand at the rear wheel of his car. 73 00:04:18,675 --> 00:04:20,593 And I said, "Give me your driver's license." 74 00:04:20,635 --> 00:04:25,890 And I looked at it and his name was Vladimir Zelenin. 75 00:04:25,932 --> 00:04:29,144 He was Russian. 76 00:04:29,185 --> 00:04:30,603 I said, "What are you doing here? 77 00:04:30,645 --> 00:04:32,063 What's, what's in the bags?" 78 00:04:32,105 --> 00:04:34,149 And he just, he just kind of like looked up in the air. 79 00:04:34,190 --> 00:04:36,985 I assumed that he didn't speak English. 80 00:04:37,027 --> 00:04:40,280 I really didn't wanna ask him a lot of questions 81 00:04:40,321 --> 00:04:42,949 until he was handcuffed. 82 00:04:42,991 --> 00:04:48,955 He had this look about him that he might try to overpower me. 83 00:04:50,457 --> 00:04:53,293 He was definitely eerie. 84 00:04:53,335 --> 00:04:56,588 I got my portable radio, I call for a backup. 85 00:04:56,629 --> 00:04:57,881 I said, "Listen," I said, 86 00:04:57,922 --> 00:04:59,758 "I think I got a body in a trunk of a car, 87 00:04:59,799 --> 00:05:01,843 so you better send me everybody." 88 00:05:07,098 --> 00:05:08,683 [Narrator] Minutes later, 89 00:05:08,725 --> 00:05:11,853 backup patrols arrive and the man is taken into custody. 90 00:05:13,271 --> 00:05:15,482 [Richard] We handcuffed him up and put him in the car. 91 00:05:15,523 --> 00:05:18,985 And I read him Miranda warning. 92 00:05:19,027 --> 00:05:24,574 I did ask Vladimir how many bodies were in the bags, 93 00:05:24,616 --> 00:05:27,535 and he answered "one." 94 00:05:27,577 --> 00:05:32,624 And with that he started to motion his head to the left 95 00:05:32,665 --> 00:05:34,793 and he said, "More parts." 96 00:05:37,337 --> 00:05:40,882 I said, "What?" He said, "More parts." 97 00:05:43,426 --> 00:05:45,387 [music] 98 00:05:48,056 --> 00:05:51,601 And there was a car parked maybe 40, 50 feet away. 99 00:05:53,770 --> 00:05:57,399 We opened up the trunk and there was a couple more bags in there. 100 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,275 You could see, uh, like a scalpel, 101 00:05:59,317 --> 00:06:03,113 a pair of pliers, an axe, belt, shoes, 102 00:06:03,154 --> 00:06:08,118 you could make out a piece of, of what would appear to be skull 103 00:06:08,159 --> 00:06:09,536 but missing the ear. 104 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,624 We just couldn't believe what we were looking at. 105 00:06:14,666 --> 00:06:18,712 Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought 106 00:06:18,753 --> 00:06:22,132 that I would encounter such a horrific scene. 107 00:06:24,718 --> 00:06:28,054 He realized that he's obviously caught. 108 00:06:28,096 --> 00:06:30,682 His whole demeanor changed 109 00:06:30,724 --> 00:06:35,145 that he wanted to get this off of his chest. 110 00:06:36,688 --> 00:06:40,942 Mr. Zelenin told the police that the victim was Yakov Gluzman. 111 00:06:44,779 --> 00:06:46,197 [music] 112 00:06:48,199 --> 00:06:51,911 [Narrator] Dr. Yakov Gluzman was a 48-year-old scientist, 113 00:06:51,953 --> 00:06:53,955 world-renowned for his breakthroughs 114 00:06:53,997 --> 00:06:55,623 in cancer research. 115 00:06:57,208 --> 00:06:58,960 He and his wife, Rita Gluzman, 116 00:06:59,002 --> 00:07:01,588 had known each other since they were children. 117 00:07:02,797 --> 00:07:06,926 [Tim] Yakov Gluzman was born in Ukraine, 1947, 118 00:07:06,968 --> 00:07:09,929 when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. 119 00:07:09,971 --> 00:07:14,642 Rita Gluzman was born in, uh, 1948 in Ukraine. 120 00:07:14,684 --> 00:07:17,562 She was a brilliant woman, she was highly educated, 121 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:19,647 uh, a scientist as well. 122 00:07:24,819 --> 00:07:27,781 [Narrator] While Yakov attended Moscow State University, 123 00:07:27,822 --> 00:07:29,949 him and Rita kept in touch, 124 00:07:29,991 --> 00:07:35,205 and after a brief courtship, got married in 1969. 125 00:07:35,246 --> 00:07:37,207 Their first act as man and wife 126 00:07:37,248 --> 00:07:41,086 was to plan an escape from the Soviet Union. 127 00:07:41,127 --> 00:07:45,298 Both Rita and Yakov were Jewish and at that point in time 128 00:07:45,340 --> 00:07:46,716 there was a lot of discrimination 129 00:07:46,758 --> 00:07:50,887 against the Jewish population in Communist Russia. 130 00:07:50,929 --> 00:07:55,141 Rita had petitioned to get the family out of the Soviet Union 131 00:07:55,183 --> 00:07:59,396 and go to Israel, and eventually she was allowed to go. 132 00:07:59,437 --> 00:08:01,648 But Yakov, because he was a scientist, 133 00:08:01,690 --> 00:08:03,692 was not allowed to leave. 134 00:08:03,733 --> 00:08:08,113 He was considered to be an asset for the, uh, Soviet Union 135 00:08:08,154 --> 00:08:10,824 and so he could not leave the country. 136 00:08:10,865 --> 00:08:13,243 Yakov, however, told Rita, "Please leave," 137 00:08:13,284 --> 00:08:15,704 you know, because she was pregnant with their child. 138 00:08:19,207 --> 00:08:22,919 [Narrator] In 1970, Rita immigrated to Israel, 139 00:08:22,961 --> 00:08:27,674 where she gave birth to the couple's only child, a son. 140 00:08:27,716 --> 00:08:31,678 But she was determined not to leave her husband behind. 141 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,180 [Tim] Rita Gluzman came to the United States 142 00:08:34,222 --> 00:08:37,100 where she launched a protest in front of the United Nations 143 00:08:37,142 --> 00:08:38,727 and a hunger strike, 144 00:08:38,768 --> 00:08:41,104 drawing attention to the plight of her husband. 145 00:08:42,272 --> 00:08:45,358 [Dr. Bruce] She even lobbied, uh, members of Congress 146 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,987 and wrote to the, uh, the President of the United States. 147 00:08:49,029 --> 00:08:51,114 [Narrator] Desperate to reunite her family 148 00:08:51,156 --> 00:08:53,658 after 22 months apart, 149 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:58,329 Rita's hard work resulted in an emotional reunion. 150 00:08:58,371 --> 00:09:03,752 Yakov Gluzman is allowed to join Rita in Israel at long last. 151 00:09:03,793 --> 00:09:06,254 And they lived in Israel for several years 152 00:09:06,296 --> 00:09:09,257 pursuing postgraduate education. 153 00:09:14,095 --> 00:09:17,515 [Narrator] In 1977, the couple immigrated to Long Island, 154 00:09:17,557 --> 00:09:19,017 New York. 155 00:09:19,059 --> 00:09:21,728 Yakov was hired to do his post-doctoral work 156 00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:24,064 at Cold Spring Harbor laboratories, 157 00:09:24,105 --> 00:09:27,734 one of the world's leading research centers. 158 00:09:27,776 --> 00:09:29,235 I was a colleague, 159 00:09:29,277 --> 00:09:32,822 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory with Yakov. 160 00:09:32,864 --> 00:09:36,368 The family lived on the campus in an apartment. 161 00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:40,038 Yakov really enjoyed the idea of living on the campus 162 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:43,083 and being able to spend time with his son. 163 00:09:43,124 --> 00:09:46,211 He was a gentle giant was the way I remember him. 164 00:09:46,252 --> 00:09:47,462 A lot of fun but, uh, 165 00:09:47,504 --> 00:09:50,757 very serious scientist when it came down to it. 166 00:09:50,799 --> 00:09:53,301 This was a very interesting time in cancer research 167 00:09:53,343 --> 00:09:57,639 because it was known that viruses could cause cancer 168 00:09:57,681 --> 00:10:00,058 and everybody was interested in, 169 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:04,270 what are the genes inside these viruses that can cause cancer? 170 00:10:04,312 --> 00:10:07,857 He had made some very, very important discoveries. 171 00:10:11,986 --> 00:10:15,156 [Tim] By the early 80's, Rita was raising their son, 172 00:10:15,198 --> 00:10:17,659 who would've been 10, 12 years old. 173 00:10:17,701 --> 00:10:20,412 In 1987, Yakov Gluzman gets an offer 174 00:10:20,453 --> 00:10:24,207 from a major pharmaceutical concern headquartered 175 00:10:24,249 --> 00:10:25,792 in Pearl River, New York, 176 00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:30,088 looking for cures for cancer and is paid a very nice salary. 177 00:10:31,172 --> 00:10:33,800 [Narrator] Yakov's new job paid so well, 178 00:10:33,842 --> 00:10:37,804 he and Rita were able to buy an expansive home. 179 00:10:37,846 --> 00:10:39,764 [Louis] The home was in Upper Saddle River, 180 00:10:39,806 --> 00:10:41,141 New Jersey. 181 00:10:41,182 --> 00:10:43,727 This area was a very affluent neighborhood. 182 00:10:43,768 --> 00:10:46,688 There were multimillion dollar homes, very large, 183 00:10:46,730 --> 00:10:49,649 almost mansion-type of homes. 184 00:10:49,691 --> 00:10:52,235 [Tim] Sometime after the Gluzmans resettled, 185 00:10:52,277 --> 00:10:56,197 Rita decided to start a technology company 186 00:10:56,239 --> 00:10:59,534 and it was a electro-plating concern known as 187 00:10:59,576 --> 00:11:00,869 ECI Technologies. 188 00:11:02,370 --> 00:11:06,166 ECI Technologies was a business that was involved in, uh, 189 00:11:06,207 --> 00:11:09,669 electronic components for other businesses. 190 00:11:09,711 --> 00:11:11,004 [Narrator] For more than a decade, 191 00:11:11,046 --> 00:11:14,507 the Gluzmans lived their American dream. 192 00:11:14,549 --> 00:11:16,176 With their son grown, 193 00:11:16,217 --> 00:11:20,221 they focused on expanding their business and traveling together. 194 00:11:20,263 --> 00:11:24,017 We met in Jamaica at the end of 1995. 195 00:11:24,059 --> 00:11:26,853 She talked about how much she loved her husband, 196 00:11:26,895 --> 00:11:29,981 she said more than once how brilliant he was. 197 00:11:30,023 --> 00:11:32,984 They were just a loving couple. 198 00:11:36,404 --> 00:11:40,367 [Narrator] But now, their dream life has turned into a nightmare 199 00:11:40,408 --> 00:11:43,787 with the discovery of Yakov's alleged remains 200 00:11:43,828 --> 00:11:45,413 in the trunk of a car. 201 00:11:46,998 --> 00:11:50,210 Within an hour, the East Rutherford Industrial Park 202 00:11:50,251 --> 00:11:54,339 becomes the site of a massive murder investigation. 203 00:11:54,381 --> 00:11:56,925 [Louis] This brought a huge response 204 00:11:56,966 --> 00:11:59,469 from numerous other police agencies. 205 00:11:59,511 --> 00:12:01,388 They brought in forensic teams. 206 00:12:01,429 --> 00:12:04,557 They brought in scuba diving teams to go into the river 207 00:12:04,599 --> 00:12:07,686 to search for additional body parts. 208 00:12:07,727 --> 00:12:10,063 There was no way at that point in time 209 00:12:10,105 --> 00:12:11,940 in this early stage of the investigation 210 00:12:11,981 --> 00:12:14,734 to confirm exactly what Vladimir Zelenin 211 00:12:14,776 --> 00:12:16,236 had told the police. 212 00:12:21,366 --> 00:12:23,827 [Narrator] Hoping to confirm the victim's identity 213 00:12:23,868 --> 00:12:26,079 and learn more from their suspect, 214 00:12:26,121 --> 00:12:30,417 detectives transport him to the station. 215 00:12:30,458 --> 00:12:32,419 Was it the Russian mafia? 216 00:12:32,460 --> 00:12:37,215 And I'm thinking, 'What was going through his mind? 217 00:12:37,257 --> 00:12:41,094 What did the guy in the bags do 218 00:12:41,136 --> 00:12:46,349 to make him cut him up in such a way?' 219 00:12:46,391 --> 00:12:48,143 I mean it, it was brutal. 220 00:12:48,184 --> 00:12:50,478 [music] 221 00:12:51,646 --> 00:12:53,106 [Narrator] Coming up... 222 00:12:53,148 --> 00:12:56,985 The prime suspect makes a horrifying confession. 223 00:12:57,027 --> 00:12:59,821 He was trying to cut up the body into such small pieces 224 00:12:59,863 --> 00:13:02,282 that couldn't be identified. 225 00:13:02,323 --> 00:13:05,910 [Narrator] And he claims he didn't act alone. 226 00:13:05,952 --> 00:13:07,203 While he was in the bathroom, 227 00:13:07,245 --> 00:13:09,372 he heard her yell out to him, 228 00:13:09,414 --> 00:13:11,332 "He's still breathing! He's still breathing!" 229 00:13:22,052 --> 00:13:24,304 [music] 230 00:13:26,598 --> 00:13:29,225 [Narrator] While murder suspect Vladimir Zelenin 231 00:13:29,267 --> 00:13:31,186 is brought in for questioning, 232 00:13:31,227 --> 00:13:35,398 divers search the river for any additional evidence. 233 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,652 There was a bag left on a rock down at the riverbank. 234 00:13:39,694 --> 00:13:42,906 Obviously, you know, he got some stuff into that river. 235 00:13:42,947 --> 00:13:45,367 We're going to have to find it. 236 00:13:45,408 --> 00:13:47,744 And the Passaic is very polluted and murky, 237 00:13:47,786 --> 00:13:48,953 and it was a cold day. 238 00:13:48,995 --> 00:13:51,539 Divers did heroic, uh, work. 239 00:13:51,581 --> 00:13:55,502 [Narrator] The divers manage to recover several more body parts 240 00:13:55,543 --> 00:13:58,630 that are assumed to belong to the same person found 241 00:13:58,672 --> 00:14:01,883 in two vehicles at the scene. 242 00:14:01,925 --> 00:14:04,386 We contacted the medical examiner's office, 243 00:14:04,427 --> 00:14:07,222 and they took possession of all the bags 244 00:14:07,263 --> 00:14:09,849 to be positively identified. 245 00:14:09,891 --> 00:14:15,730 We're talking about large Hefty bags filled with body parts, 246 00:14:15,772 --> 00:14:18,316 roughly 65 pieces of this man. 247 00:14:19,943 --> 00:14:21,486 And they weren't small pieces, 248 00:14:21,528 --> 00:14:25,657 they were parts of his arm, parts of his hand, his fingers, 249 00:14:25,699 --> 00:14:29,285 eyes, a heart, liver. 250 00:14:30,578 --> 00:14:33,540 It was a fairly gruesome, ugly situation. 251 00:14:37,460 --> 00:14:42,007 [Narrator] Now, police need more information from their suspect. 252 00:14:42,048 --> 00:14:44,342 Once back at the East Rutherford Police Department, 253 00:14:44,384 --> 00:14:47,387 detectives were speaking with Vladimir Zelenin 254 00:14:47,429 --> 00:14:50,348 with the assistance of the interpreter. 255 00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:52,058 [Narrator] The brutal nature of the crime 256 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:56,104 has led to speculation about the Russian mafia. 257 00:14:56,146 --> 00:15:00,150 However, it turns out Vladimir and Yakov were friends. 258 00:15:02,152 --> 00:15:06,573 [Carlos] Vladimir Zelenin is the cousin of Rita Gluzman. 259 00:15:06,614 --> 00:15:10,285 Rita and Yakov were very instrumental 260 00:15:10,326 --> 00:15:15,707 in, uh, bringing Zelenin from Russia back in 1993. 261 00:15:16,833 --> 00:15:19,669 [Louis] Vladimir Zelenin had lived 262 00:15:19,711 --> 00:15:22,297 in the former Soviet Union. 263 00:15:22,339 --> 00:15:26,134 His wife had been murdered during a robbery 264 00:15:26,176 --> 00:15:29,179 of a check cashing company that she had worked at. 265 00:15:29,220 --> 00:15:31,473 He had told authorities though, that, uh, 266 00:15:31,514 --> 00:15:35,185 she was the victim of an anti-Semitic murder, 267 00:15:35,226 --> 00:15:38,146 and that was the basis for his seeking political asylum 268 00:15:38,188 --> 00:15:40,607 in the United States. 269 00:15:40,648 --> 00:15:44,110 [Carlos] Rita basically took Vladimir under her wing. 270 00:15:44,152 --> 00:15:46,404 She provided for him. 271 00:15:46,446 --> 00:15:49,449 Rita got him a job at ECI Technology, 272 00:15:49,491 --> 00:15:52,077 got him an apartment in Fair Lawn. 273 00:15:52,118 --> 00:15:54,996 She had quite a bit of influence over him and his, 274 00:15:55,038 --> 00:15:57,332 his situation here in the United States. 275 00:15:59,876 --> 00:16:01,211 [Narrator] According to Vladimir, 276 00:16:01,252 --> 00:16:06,925 he had no reason to kill Yakov, but Rita did. 277 00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:08,385 [Louis] Vladimir Zelenin told the police 278 00:16:08,426 --> 00:16:11,888 that for several months his cousin, Rita Gluzman, 279 00:16:11,930 --> 00:16:15,850 had been complaining to him that she and Yakov Gluzman 280 00:16:15,892 --> 00:16:17,477 were going through a divorce. 281 00:16:18,561 --> 00:16:21,398 [Carlos] He knew that the divorce was bitter. 282 00:16:21,439 --> 00:16:25,360 He told us that Yakov had moved out back in 1995 283 00:16:25,402 --> 00:16:27,195 and got his own apartment. 284 00:16:27,237 --> 00:16:30,949 He had enough of her lavish lifestyle, 285 00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:32,575 and he was a very frugal man. 286 00:16:33,952 --> 00:16:35,453 [Narrator] Vladimir says Rita feared 287 00:16:35,495 --> 00:16:39,374 the divorce would mean the end of her business. 288 00:16:39,416 --> 00:16:41,543 [Louis] Rita kept telling Vladimir Zelenin 289 00:16:41,584 --> 00:16:44,045 that if ECI Technologies went under, 290 00:16:44,087 --> 00:16:45,880 that she would lose everything. 291 00:16:45,922 --> 00:16:48,383 Once the divorce became a reality, 292 00:16:48,425 --> 00:16:50,343 she was going to do anything she could 293 00:16:50,385 --> 00:16:52,554 to protect the assets that she had. 294 00:16:56,433 --> 00:16:59,811 Rita Gluzman had come to Vladimir Zelenin sometime in, 295 00:16:59,853 --> 00:17:02,522 uh, February of 1996, 296 00:17:02,564 --> 00:17:07,152 asking for his help in murdering her husband, Yakov. 297 00:17:07,193 --> 00:17:10,405 He had at first declined. 298 00:17:10,447 --> 00:17:14,117 Rita reminded him that his livelihood and his, uh, 299 00:17:14,159 --> 00:17:16,619 immigration status in the United States, 300 00:17:16,661 --> 00:17:19,789 depended entirely on his employment at ECI. 301 00:17:21,958 --> 00:17:23,585 [Louis] Rita had been threatening 302 00:17:23,626 --> 00:17:27,172 if Vladimir did not help Rita kill her husband, 303 00:17:27,213 --> 00:17:29,883 she was going to go to the authorities and tell them 304 00:17:29,924 --> 00:17:32,927 that his political asylum application was falsified, 305 00:17:32,969 --> 00:17:36,389 and that he would then be thrown out of the country. 306 00:17:36,431 --> 00:17:37,515 According to Mr. Zelenin, 307 00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:39,642 he felt like he had no other option. 308 00:17:41,603 --> 00:17:44,272 He did not want to go back to where he came from. 309 00:17:44,314 --> 00:17:46,191 He felt that that was a death sentence. 310 00:17:50,862 --> 00:17:54,532 [Narrator] Vladimir says the plan was simple. 311 00:17:54,574 --> 00:17:58,495 He told the police that Rita still had access 312 00:17:58,536 --> 00:18:02,123 to the apartment that Yakov Gluzman was living in. 313 00:18:02,165 --> 00:18:03,792 The plan that they came up with 314 00:18:03,833 --> 00:18:07,295 was that they would lay and wait inside the apartment, 315 00:18:07,337 --> 00:18:12,467 that they were armed with axes, hatchets, and knives. 316 00:18:12,509 --> 00:18:14,719 And when Yakov Gluzman came home, 317 00:18:14,761 --> 00:18:15,887 they would attack him. 318 00:18:20,684 --> 00:18:24,813 Yakov Gluzman worked late on Saturday, April 6th. 319 00:18:24,854 --> 00:18:29,859 Returning home to his, uh, apartment after 11:45 at night. 320 00:18:34,114 --> 00:18:36,533 The door opened and Vladimir said that 321 00:18:36,574 --> 00:18:38,827 he had both hands on the axe. 322 00:18:42,539 --> 00:18:45,083 He hit Yakov in the head with the axe, 323 00:18:45,125 --> 00:18:47,127 and he made a sound, and he dropped down, 324 00:18:47,168 --> 00:18:49,462 and he hit him again. 325 00:18:49,504 --> 00:18:51,840 And then, Rita came around the corner 326 00:18:51,881 --> 00:18:53,508 and started attacking him. 327 00:18:55,385 --> 00:18:57,095 [Louis] Rita Gluzman had a hatchet, 328 00:18:57,137 --> 00:18:59,639 and Rita was, uh, furiously hitting him 329 00:18:59,681 --> 00:19:02,392 with the hatchet at the top of his head. 330 00:19:06,521 --> 00:19:08,231 [Narrator] However, 331 00:19:08,273 --> 00:19:10,859 things didn't quite go the way they anticipated. 332 00:19:13,236 --> 00:19:15,321 Vladimir says during the frenzy, 333 00:19:15,363 --> 00:19:17,615 Rita cut his hand with her axe 334 00:19:17,657 --> 00:19:21,202 and he went into the bathroom to bandage it. 335 00:19:21,244 --> 00:19:24,706 While he was in the bathroom, he heard Rita yell out to him, 336 00:19:24,748 --> 00:19:28,335 "He's still breathing! He's still breathing!" 337 00:19:28,376 --> 00:19:30,211 Vladimir came out of the bathroom, 338 00:19:30,253 --> 00:19:34,591 looked down at Yakov, and said, "There's nothing I can do now." 339 00:19:36,217 --> 00:19:38,803 Rita then took a knife and began to use it, 340 00:19:38,845 --> 00:19:42,265 stabbing Yakov Gluzman in the torso area. 341 00:19:49,731 --> 00:19:52,233 [Narrator] Once they were sure Yakov was dead, 342 00:19:52,275 --> 00:19:54,652 they began covering their tracks. 343 00:19:56,654 --> 00:20:00,408 Vladimir's job was to dismember him, 344 00:20:00,450 --> 00:20:03,286 so, Vladimir was in the bathroom, 345 00:20:03,328 --> 00:20:04,746 doing what he needed to do 346 00:20:04,788 --> 00:20:08,750 in the bathtub while Rita sanitized that apartment. 347 00:20:08,792 --> 00:20:11,795 Vladimir said that Yakov was a fairly large person 348 00:20:11,836 --> 00:20:14,130 and that they couldn't really just carry him 349 00:20:14,172 --> 00:20:15,632 out of the apartment. 350 00:20:15,674 --> 00:20:19,719 So, he had no other choice but to dismember the body, 351 00:20:19,761 --> 00:20:22,097 to put him into different bags. 352 00:20:22,138 --> 00:20:25,016 He was trying to cut up the body into such small pieces 353 00:20:25,058 --> 00:20:28,103 that it couldn't be identified. 354 00:20:28,144 --> 00:20:31,564 So, that's why he cut off the ears, he cut off the nose. 355 00:20:33,108 --> 00:20:38,196 The fact that one person could do that to another human being 356 00:20:38,238 --> 00:20:39,948 shocks the conscience so much. 357 00:20:45,912 --> 00:20:48,456 [Hilda] By now, it's about six o'clock in the morning, 358 00:20:48,498 --> 00:20:51,292 and they drag those bags downstairs. 359 00:20:51,334 --> 00:20:53,461 And these are heavy bags. 360 00:20:53,503 --> 00:20:55,005 [Carlos] According to Zelenin, 361 00:20:55,046 --> 00:21:00,844 Rita told him to put the bags in the trunk of Yakov's car. 362 00:21:03,221 --> 00:21:04,764 So, they were able to use 363 00:21:04,806 --> 00:21:08,768 Yakov's car as well as Zelenin's car 364 00:21:08,810 --> 00:21:11,813 to put all 11 bags of body parts 365 00:21:11,855 --> 00:21:14,482 and tools into the trunk of both cars. 366 00:21:19,779 --> 00:21:21,448 [Narrator] Vladimir says they planned 367 00:21:21,489 --> 00:21:23,158 to dump the bags in the river, 368 00:21:23,199 --> 00:21:27,662 but Rita made a stop for medical supplies along the way. 369 00:21:27,704 --> 00:21:29,664 [Carlos] They stopped at a CVS store, 370 00:21:29,706 --> 00:21:32,709 and they bought a tremendous amount of bandages and gauzes 371 00:21:32,751 --> 00:21:36,671 and band-aids to take care of Zelenin's hand. 372 00:21:36,713 --> 00:21:40,258 And then they proceeded to drive both vehicles 373 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:44,387 to the ECI Technologies parking lot. 374 00:21:44,429 --> 00:21:48,516 Upon arrival, they left Yakov's vehicle there, 375 00:21:48,558 --> 00:21:51,936 and then Zelenin drove Rita back to the house 376 00:21:51,978 --> 00:21:53,521 in Upper Saddle River, 377 00:21:53,563 --> 00:21:57,525 and then he returned back to ECI Technologies 378 00:21:57,567 --> 00:22:00,612 where Yakov's car was to dump the body parts 379 00:22:00,653 --> 00:22:02,906 in the Passaic River. 380 00:22:02,947 --> 00:22:06,951 That's when he was found by Police Officer Richard Freeman. 381 00:22:09,746 --> 00:22:11,414 [Narrator] Based on his confession, 382 00:22:11,456 --> 00:22:14,918 Vladimir is charged with murder. 383 00:22:14,959 --> 00:22:19,464 Now detectives must determine if Rita is the mastermind 384 00:22:19,506 --> 00:22:22,342 or another potential victim. 385 00:22:22,384 --> 00:22:24,219 We knew where Zelenin was. 386 00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:26,971 We had no idea where Rita was. 387 00:22:27,013 --> 00:22:30,016 We didn't know if his statement was accurate. 388 00:22:30,058 --> 00:22:32,435 We need to corroborate what he says. 389 00:22:32,477 --> 00:22:34,479 She was possibly a witness, 390 00:22:34,521 --> 00:22:37,774 possibly a person of interest, possibly dead, even. 391 00:22:49,619 --> 00:22:51,121 [music] 392 00:22:54,708 --> 00:22:57,377 [Narrator] After the arrest of Vladimir Zelenin, 393 00:22:57,419 --> 00:22:59,129 New Jersey police are focused 394 00:22:59,170 --> 00:23:03,216 on locating his alleged co-conspirator, Rita Gluzman. 395 00:23:04,884 --> 00:23:07,804 Given what Vladimir had said about what he had done to Yakov, 396 00:23:07,846 --> 00:23:09,806 the police were concerned that perhaps, you know, 397 00:23:09,848 --> 00:23:12,809 he had done something also to Rita. 398 00:23:12,851 --> 00:23:15,645 [Tim] Officials tried to find Rita Gluzman 399 00:23:15,687 --> 00:23:19,691 at the Gluzman family residence in Upper Saddle River. 400 00:23:19,733 --> 00:23:22,986 Once the, uh, search warrant was authorized by the judge, 401 00:23:23,028 --> 00:23:27,532 we entered the residence and we proceeded to search. 402 00:23:27,574 --> 00:23:30,493 They were unable to find Rita Gluzman there 403 00:23:30,535 --> 00:23:32,662 or anyone at the Gluzman household. 404 00:23:33,913 --> 00:23:37,208 [Narrator] But police do find some incriminating evidence. 405 00:23:40,337 --> 00:23:45,508 We knew that one of the knives in the bag of tools 406 00:23:45,550 --> 00:23:46,676 was a Henckel knife. 407 00:23:46,718 --> 00:23:47,969 I realized that there was 408 00:23:48,011 --> 00:23:49,846 a block of Henckel knives on the kitchen 409 00:23:49,888 --> 00:23:51,806 that were missing several of them. 410 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,814 [Carlos] Part of my search is always securing 411 00:23:59,856 --> 00:24:02,108 the trap from the washer 412 00:24:02,150 --> 00:24:05,445 because usually when you wash an item with blood, 413 00:24:05,487 --> 00:24:08,948 there's blood left in the trap. 414 00:24:08,990 --> 00:24:14,496 But in order for me to do that, I had to remove the dryer first. 415 00:24:14,537 --> 00:24:19,000 In the vent of the dryer on the wall, there was an envelope. 416 00:24:22,587 --> 00:24:24,422 I wanted to know why is this envelope 417 00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:27,676 so well secured in here, so well hidden? 418 00:24:27,717 --> 00:24:30,887 Uh, it turned out to be a couple of business cards 419 00:24:30,929 --> 00:24:33,473 and phone numbers ripped from a phone book. 420 00:24:33,515 --> 00:24:35,183 That was seized as evidence. 421 00:24:36,893 --> 00:24:39,062 [Narrator] When detectives are finished at the house, 422 00:24:39,104 --> 00:24:42,190 they try to find Rita at her company. 423 00:24:42,232 --> 00:24:44,651 [Louis] At her company, ECI Technology 424 00:24:44,693 --> 00:24:46,861 the workers there all said they had not seen her. 425 00:24:46,903 --> 00:24:51,032 So, what was decided was a nationwide alert 426 00:24:51,074 --> 00:24:54,327 would be put out to all law enforcement agencies, 427 00:24:54,369 --> 00:24:55,995 both state and federal, 428 00:24:56,037 --> 00:24:58,123 to see if they could locate Rita Gluzman. 429 00:25:02,919 --> 00:25:05,672 [Narrator] Their next stop is the alleged crime scene, 430 00:25:05,714 --> 00:25:08,800 Yakov Gluzman's apartment. 431 00:25:08,842 --> 00:25:12,887 As we were walking into the building, like, 432 00:25:12,929 --> 00:25:17,434 you could see some small amount of smeared blood on, 433 00:25:17,475 --> 00:25:18,977 uh, the door jamb. 434 00:25:21,688 --> 00:25:23,773 [Narrator] When detectives go inside, 435 00:25:23,815 --> 00:25:26,651 they find the place is spotless. 436 00:25:27,902 --> 00:25:29,612 [Louis] There was no obvious signs 437 00:25:29,654 --> 00:25:31,823 that a murder had taken place. 438 00:25:31,865 --> 00:25:35,285 So, it was very difficult at that point in time to really, 439 00:25:35,326 --> 00:25:38,747 uh, determine whether or not what Vladimir Zelenin said 440 00:25:38,788 --> 00:25:41,958 was actually true, that a murder occurred there. 441 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,211 However, after the police did some forensic investigation 442 00:25:45,253 --> 00:25:46,629 and spoke with neighbors, 443 00:25:46,671 --> 00:25:50,091 things started to add up that something nefarious 444 00:25:50,133 --> 00:25:52,302 really did happen in this apartment. 445 00:25:55,805 --> 00:25:57,640 I did go downstairs to the apartment 446 00:25:57,682 --> 00:25:59,893 directly below Yakov's apartment 447 00:25:59,934 --> 00:26:02,145 and I spoke to a female there. 448 00:26:02,187 --> 00:26:04,647 She told me that in the middle of the night 449 00:26:04,689 --> 00:26:07,984 she heard hammering upstairs, 450 00:26:08,026 --> 00:26:10,403 and she was wondering what the heck 451 00:26:10,445 --> 00:26:13,406 could anybody be doing at this time of night. 452 00:26:13,448 --> 00:26:14,824 [Louis] In the morning, 453 00:26:14,866 --> 00:26:17,118 another neighbor told the police that they'd looked out 454 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,829 their kitchen window and observed what appeared to be 455 00:26:19,871 --> 00:26:22,499 a female and a male going to the vehicles, 456 00:26:22,540 --> 00:26:24,167 just like Vladimir said. 457 00:26:25,627 --> 00:26:29,673 She saw them dragging the bags, putting them in the trunk. 458 00:26:29,714 --> 00:26:31,299 The woman had her head covered 459 00:26:31,341 --> 00:26:33,510 and she was kind of careful to keep her head down 460 00:26:33,551 --> 00:26:35,095 and not to be seen. 461 00:26:35,136 --> 00:26:36,971 They were obviously trying to be 462 00:26:37,013 --> 00:26:38,932 as discreet as possible, but they weren't. 463 00:26:42,310 --> 00:26:43,728 [Narrator] Unfortunately, 464 00:26:43,770 --> 00:26:46,856 the witness can't say for certain the woman was Rita, 465 00:26:46,898 --> 00:26:49,818 but her testimony corroborates much of what Vladimir 466 00:26:49,859 --> 00:26:51,861 told police. 467 00:26:51,903 --> 00:26:54,572 The most important thing left to confirm 468 00:26:54,614 --> 00:26:56,991 is the identity of the victim. 469 00:27:01,621 --> 00:27:05,917 On April 9th, two days after the body parts were found, 470 00:27:05,959 --> 00:27:09,921 a medical examiner determines they are missing a piece. 471 00:27:09,963 --> 00:27:15,760 We tried to basically rebuild, if you will, 472 00:27:15,802 --> 00:27:18,722 the body, uh, with all the parts. 473 00:27:18,763 --> 00:27:21,725 There were 65 pieces at that point. 474 00:27:21,766 --> 00:27:25,562 And by doing that, we were able to realize that we were missing, 475 00:27:25,603 --> 00:27:29,065 uh, his left forearm. 476 00:27:29,107 --> 00:27:31,818 We contacted the Bergen County Police Diving Team again 477 00:27:31,860 --> 00:27:33,862 and they went back, and they found it. 478 00:27:38,825 --> 00:27:40,910 [Narrator] Even with a full body, 479 00:27:40,952 --> 00:27:44,414 identification proves difficult. 480 00:27:44,456 --> 00:27:45,790 [Carlos] All fingerprints, 481 00:27:45,832 --> 00:27:48,877 all tips of all the fingers had been severed off. 482 00:27:50,337 --> 00:27:53,715 There was suspicion at first that perhaps the Russian mob 483 00:27:53,757 --> 00:27:58,303 was involved because the modus operandi matched, uh, theirs. 484 00:27:58,345 --> 00:28:01,348 Vladimir was meticulous in what he did 485 00:28:01,389 --> 00:28:04,017 to diminish the ability to identify him. 486 00:28:05,226 --> 00:28:07,479 [Louis] Fortunately for the medical examiner, 487 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,774 Vladimir Zelenin also committed one huge mistake 488 00:28:10,815 --> 00:28:16,988 in that he did not remove and cut the jawbone with the teeth. 489 00:28:17,030 --> 00:28:19,824 The medical examiner was able then to use dental records 490 00:28:19,866 --> 00:28:23,119 to make a positive identification of Yakov Gluzman. 491 00:28:26,498 --> 00:28:30,001 [Narrator] Nearly every detail of Vladimir's confession 492 00:28:30,043 --> 00:28:32,212 has now been verified. 493 00:28:32,253 --> 00:28:36,633 The one piece still missing is Rita. 494 00:28:36,675 --> 00:28:40,637 That's about the time that the bureau started to get involved. 495 00:28:40,679 --> 00:28:44,140 They came to us because we had the resources to start to cover 496 00:28:44,182 --> 00:28:45,725 the New York metropolitan area 497 00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:48,103 in a way that the local jurisdictions 498 00:28:48,144 --> 00:28:51,189 don't have the capacity to do. 499 00:28:51,231 --> 00:28:54,275 We put out all points at all the airports, 500 00:28:54,317 --> 00:28:58,488 contacted all the transportation agencies. 501 00:28:58,530 --> 00:29:00,448 [Louis] Some of the information that was returned 502 00:29:00,490 --> 00:29:04,953 was that Rita Gluzman's vehicle had entered LaGuardia Airport 503 00:29:04,994 --> 00:29:08,998 at about three o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday. 504 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,334 You have to get a ticket when you pulled in 505 00:29:11,376 --> 00:29:15,005 and then that would trigger a camera to read a license plate. 506 00:29:15,046 --> 00:29:16,589 Is she hiding out? 507 00:29:16,631 --> 00:29:20,885 Is she fleeing the car then exited a short time later? 508 00:29:23,555 --> 00:29:26,474 [Narrator] As media coverage of the brutal crime spreads 509 00:29:26,516 --> 00:29:31,354 across the tri-state area, another witness comes forward. 510 00:29:31,396 --> 00:29:33,398 [Louis] Pictures of Rita Gluzman were flashed 511 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,026 on television screens and newspapers 512 00:29:36,067 --> 00:29:38,945 throughout the tri-state area. 513 00:29:38,987 --> 00:29:41,656 Ultimately wound up at a CVS pharmacy 514 00:29:41,698 --> 00:29:44,701 and spoke to a clerk who said that he had recognized 515 00:29:44,743 --> 00:29:48,830 Rita's picture in the newspaper as being a woman who came in 516 00:29:48,872 --> 00:29:51,583 to buy bandages at or near the time 517 00:29:51,624 --> 00:29:53,251 after the murder had occurred. 518 00:29:58,423 --> 00:30:00,508 [Narrator] The clerk's identification of Rita 519 00:30:00,550 --> 00:30:02,344 seems to remove any doubt 520 00:30:02,385 --> 00:30:05,847 she was involved in her husband's murder. 521 00:30:05,889 --> 00:30:09,351 It became pretty apparent that Vladimir Zelenin's statements 522 00:30:09,392 --> 00:30:13,021 were checking out and that he was telling the truth. 523 00:30:13,063 --> 00:30:14,606 [Carlos] She was not a victim. 524 00:30:14,647 --> 00:30:16,566 She basically flew the coop. 525 00:30:17,942 --> 00:30:20,028 We had no idea where this woman was. 526 00:30:24,115 --> 00:30:25,700 [Narrator] Coming up... 527 00:30:25,742 --> 00:30:30,163 Investigators find evidence that reveals a woman scorned. 528 00:30:30,205 --> 00:30:34,584 How dare he find someone else, someone younger than her. 529 00:30:34,626 --> 00:30:37,087 She wanted to take him for everything she could. 530 00:30:48,264 --> 00:30:50,433 [music] 531 00:30:52,811 --> 00:30:56,147 [Narrator] The investigation into the murder of Yakov Gluzman 532 00:30:56,189 --> 00:31:00,276 is entering its fourth day and the alleged mastermind, 533 00:31:00,318 --> 00:31:03,780 Rita Gluzman, is still missing. 534 00:31:03,822 --> 00:31:05,865 While the search continues, 535 00:31:05,907 --> 00:31:10,286 police build their case by examining the couple's finances. 536 00:31:13,248 --> 00:31:15,709 Rita had quite a life before Yakov announced 537 00:31:15,750 --> 00:31:17,127 that he wanted a divorce. 538 00:31:18,586 --> 00:31:22,882 [Tim] Yakov Gluzman was making about $170,000 539 00:31:22,924 --> 00:31:25,510 in the mid 1990's. 540 00:31:25,552 --> 00:31:29,264 Rita was making somewhere in the neighborhood of $80,000 541 00:31:29,305 --> 00:31:32,475 from her work at ECI. 542 00:31:32,517 --> 00:31:36,730 Yakov had made what he felt was a very generous settlement offer 543 00:31:36,771 --> 00:31:38,356 for their divorce. 544 00:31:38,398 --> 00:31:41,526 He was going to give up his share of the house 545 00:31:41,568 --> 00:31:45,655 and he was also going to give up some of his 401K's. 546 00:31:45,697 --> 00:31:48,658 [Narrator] Despite Yakov's attempts at diplomacy, 547 00:31:48,700 --> 00:31:51,536 Rita refused his terms. 548 00:31:51,578 --> 00:31:54,789 We realized she wanted to take him for everything she could. 549 00:31:59,753 --> 00:32:02,505 [Narrator] The couple's divorce attorneys tell investigators 550 00:32:02,547 --> 00:32:07,093 a key point of contention was ECI Technologies, 551 00:32:07,135 --> 00:32:10,138 the company they founded together. 552 00:32:10,180 --> 00:32:13,058 She wanted that company to be signed over to her. 553 00:32:13,099 --> 00:32:16,436 She wanted complete control of it. 554 00:32:16,478 --> 00:32:18,897 He didn't know the financial situation of the business, 555 00:32:18,938 --> 00:32:20,190 and he was trying to determine that 556 00:32:20,231 --> 00:32:22,859 before he made his settlement. 557 00:32:22,901 --> 00:32:25,779 Um, and she was precluding that from happening. 558 00:32:25,820 --> 00:32:27,781 [Narrator] The company's financial records 559 00:32:27,822 --> 00:32:32,702 give detectives insight into why Rita was so hesitant. 560 00:32:32,744 --> 00:32:36,081 Rita Gluzman, as the president of ECI Technologies, 561 00:32:36,122 --> 00:32:38,458 used her position to full advantage. 562 00:32:40,794 --> 00:32:44,172 She used the company to pay the mortgage on her home, 563 00:32:44,214 --> 00:32:46,925 to pay mortgages for her sister and her mother. 564 00:32:46,966 --> 00:32:51,680 She had expensive cars that were leased through the company. 565 00:32:51,721 --> 00:32:54,599 She was eating out at fine restaurants, 566 00:32:54,641 --> 00:32:59,479 buying furs and jewelries, expensive clothing, 567 00:32:59,521 --> 00:33:03,441 all these things that she really couldn't afford, 568 00:33:03,483 --> 00:33:06,444 being paid through ECI Technology. 569 00:33:06,486 --> 00:33:09,489 She was spending upwards of 20,000 dollars a month. 570 00:33:09,531 --> 00:33:11,282 She was milking the company. 571 00:33:15,787 --> 00:33:18,748 [Narrator] But greed wasn't the only thing driving Rita 572 00:33:18,790 --> 00:33:20,709 to kill her husband. 573 00:33:20,750 --> 00:33:24,129 Yakov's phone records reveal many of his calls were 574 00:33:24,170 --> 00:33:26,423 to a phone number from Israel. 575 00:33:31,970 --> 00:33:35,807 Yakov Gluzman had met a young researcher in Israel 576 00:33:35,849 --> 00:33:39,519 on a trip there in 1994 577 00:33:39,561 --> 00:33:43,857 and the two began a friendship that would later matriculate 578 00:33:43,898 --> 00:33:47,193 into an extra marital affair. 579 00:33:47,235 --> 00:33:49,988 He was not seeing her while he was still living 580 00:33:50,030 --> 00:33:51,656 in the home with Rita. 581 00:33:51,698 --> 00:33:53,324 He was separated. 582 00:33:53,366 --> 00:33:58,329 [Narrator] When Rita found out, the woman says she was furious. 583 00:33:58,371 --> 00:34:00,999 [Louis] How dare he find someone else, 584 00:34:01,041 --> 00:34:03,626 find someone younger than her, 585 00:34:03,668 --> 00:34:07,547 and basically if she couldn't have Yakov, nobody could. 586 00:34:12,218 --> 00:34:14,012 [Tim] Rita's suspicious of what was going on 587 00:34:14,054 --> 00:34:16,639 at Yakov's apartment. 588 00:34:16,681 --> 00:34:18,808 So, she hired a private investigator. 589 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,021 [Narrator] Detectives call the numbers from the business cards 590 00:34:23,063 --> 00:34:24,773 in Yakov's laundry room, 591 00:34:24,814 --> 00:34:28,068 and when they find Rita's private investigator, 592 00:34:28,109 --> 00:34:30,987 he tells them everything he did for her. 593 00:34:31,029 --> 00:34:33,323 [Stephen] The private investigator referred her 594 00:34:33,365 --> 00:34:34,866 to a couple of technicians 595 00:34:34,908 --> 00:34:38,495 and she had them place a recording device in the home. 596 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,957 [Narrator] He says Rita used the information she gathered 597 00:34:42,999 --> 00:34:45,543 to wage war on her husband. 598 00:34:46,836 --> 00:34:50,757 Rita discovered that Yakov was working either to bring her here 599 00:34:50,799 --> 00:34:54,678 to the United States, or to go back to Israel to be with her. 600 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:58,306 He was determined to maintain this relationship. 601 00:34:58,348 --> 00:35:00,350 She was determined to destroy it. 602 00:35:02,268 --> 00:35:04,521 [Stephen] We learned that Rita Gluzman paid 603 00:35:04,562 --> 00:35:09,109 a private investigator in Israel to follow her husband. 604 00:35:09,150 --> 00:35:12,654 And he was photographed with this woman. 605 00:35:12,696 --> 00:35:15,990 Those pictures were sent back to Rita, in New Jersey, 606 00:35:16,032 --> 00:35:18,743 via her courier account. 607 00:35:18,785 --> 00:35:22,872 Those pictures turned up at the Gluzman family in Israel 608 00:35:22,914 --> 00:35:25,750 looking to ruin his and tarnish his reputation 609 00:35:25,792 --> 00:35:29,671 and the family's reputation, if they didn't pay 100,000 dollars. 610 00:35:34,634 --> 00:35:39,055 [Louis] It was her intent to blackmail Yakov Gluzman. 611 00:35:39,097 --> 00:35:43,226 However, she was mistaken because Yakov had introduced her 612 00:35:43,268 --> 00:35:45,353 to the family in Israel. 613 00:35:45,395 --> 00:35:47,147 They liked her and they were very pleased 614 00:35:47,188 --> 00:35:49,357 that Yakov was dating this young woman. 615 00:35:52,944 --> 00:35:55,238 [Narrator] With her blackmail attempts thwarted, 616 00:35:55,280 --> 00:36:00,744 Rita ratcheted up her efforts to destroy Yakov's relationship. 617 00:36:00,785 --> 00:36:03,788 Rita was asking these investigators in Israel 618 00:36:03,830 --> 00:36:07,459 to do really crazy things like plant cocaine 619 00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:09,961 on Yakov's girlfriend to prevent her 620 00:36:10,003 --> 00:36:11,421 from getting here. 621 00:36:11,463 --> 00:36:15,550 To infect her with the AIDS virus in a drink. 622 00:36:15,592 --> 00:36:18,345 She was just really getting very desperate. 623 00:36:19,846 --> 00:36:22,891 [Narrator] A month later, in December 1995, 624 00:36:22,932 --> 00:36:25,643 Yakov filed for divorce. 625 00:36:25,685 --> 00:36:28,980 Four months after that, he was murdered. 626 00:36:33,443 --> 00:36:36,071 On April 12TH, 1996, 627 00:36:36,112 --> 00:36:40,283 investigators get a tip that changes everything. 628 00:36:40,325 --> 00:36:44,120 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a big international center 629 00:36:44,162 --> 00:36:45,955 for scientific conferences 630 00:36:45,997 --> 00:36:49,668 and for training scientists in courses. 631 00:36:49,709 --> 00:36:53,421 And so, we have these cabins on the North Shore of Long Island 632 00:36:53,463 --> 00:36:54,714 where people would stay, 633 00:36:54,756 --> 00:36:57,050 and they were not used except during the summer. 634 00:36:57,092 --> 00:36:59,928 And one of their security people saw a light on 635 00:36:59,969 --> 00:37:03,473 in one of these cabins and investigated 636 00:37:03,515 --> 00:37:05,684 and saw someone living there and called the police. 637 00:37:07,852 --> 00:37:11,439 [Hilda] The woman was Rita. 638 00:37:11,481 --> 00:37:14,192 Then they arrest her for trespassing. 639 00:37:14,234 --> 00:37:15,860 Rita knew the grounds really well. 640 00:37:15,902 --> 00:37:19,030 She knew the bungalows, and I don't think she believed 641 00:37:19,072 --> 00:37:21,950 that anybody would really be looking for her there. 642 00:37:23,576 --> 00:37:26,454 [Narrator] Rita is apprehended without incident. 643 00:37:26,496 --> 00:37:27,997 Inside the cabin, 644 00:37:28,039 --> 00:37:31,918 police find evidence she'd been planning her next move. 645 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,005 They observed various items, like, uh, 646 00:37:35,046 --> 00:37:38,341 travel books to countries like Switzerland, 647 00:37:38,383 --> 00:37:40,010 which does not have an extradition treaty 648 00:37:40,051 --> 00:37:41,136 with the United States. 649 00:37:41,177 --> 00:37:43,555 And they found hair dye; 650 00:37:43,596 --> 00:37:46,474 that Rita had changed the color of her hair. 651 00:37:46,516 --> 00:37:49,436 She was obviously planning to leave. 652 00:37:53,064 --> 00:37:54,607 [Narrator] Although the evidence appears 653 00:37:54,649 --> 00:37:56,985 to be stacked against Rita, 654 00:37:57,027 --> 00:38:00,905 prosecutors know convictions aren't guaranteed. 655 00:38:00,947 --> 00:38:04,117 One of the major hurdles that, uh, we were facing 656 00:38:04,159 --> 00:38:06,036 was how could we bring a case 657 00:38:06,077 --> 00:38:09,914 against both Vladimir Zelenin and Rita Gluzman in this matter 658 00:38:09,956 --> 00:38:14,711 given that we only had Vladimir Zelenin's confession? 659 00:38:14,753 --> 00:38:16,087 And then we started to think 660 00:38:16,129 --> 00:38:19,966 about charging her with this novel, new law. 661 00:38:30,727 --> 00:38:32,520 [music] 662 00:38:35,690 --> 00:38:38,818 [Narrator] After only six days of investigation, 663 00:38:38,860 --> 00:38:41,821 New Jersey police have apprehended both suspects 664 00:38:41,863 --> 00:38:45,658 in the gruesome murder of Yakov Gluzman. 665 00:38:47,035 --> 00:38:51,581 As the mastermind, his wife Rita faces an array of charges, 666 00:38:51,623 --> 00:38:54,459 including interstate conspiracy, extortion, 667 00:38:54,501 --> 00:38:56,836 and illegal wiretapping. 668 00:38:56,878 --> 00:39:00,131 She is also charged under a relatively new law 669 00:39:00,173 --> 00:39:02,550 passed in 1994. 670 00:39:02,592 --> 00:39:04,719 [Tim] So, it was decided that the U.S. attorney 671 00:39:04,761 --> 00:39:07,055 and the district attorney would make a joint prosecution 672 00:39:07,097 --> 00:39:10,016 and charge Rita under the Violence Against Women Act, 673 00:39:10,058 --> 00:39:13,103 which made it a federal crime to cross state lines 674 00:39:13,144 --> 00:39:15,897 and abuse a spouse resulting in death. 675 00:39:16,981 --> 00:39:19,901 Initially, the law was designed to protect women. 676 00:39:24,948 --> 00:39:27,492 [Narrator] Vladimir Zelenin is offered a plea deal 677 00:39:27,534 --> 00:39:30,704 in exchange for testifying against her. 678 00:39:30,745 --> 00:39:34,082 In exchange for his cooperation against Rita Gluzman, 679 00:39:34,124 --> 00:39:38,878 he would receive a reduced jail sentence by a few years. 680 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:40,922 Without him, there's no case against Rita. 681 00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:49,055 [Narrator] Nine months later, in January 1997, 682 00:39:49,097 --> 00:39:52,976 Rita stands trial in federal court. 683 00:39:53,018 --> 00:39:55,061 [Louis] The theory in the prosecution of Rita Gluzman 684 00:39:55,103 --> 00:40:00,483 was that Rita was very concerned that if the divorce went through 685 00:40:00,525 --> 00:40:03,236 and Yakov backed out of ECI Technology, 686 00:40:03,278 --> 00:40:06,239 that she would then lose the business and the lifestyle 687 00:40:06,281 --> 00:40:08,074 that it brought her. 688 00:40:08,116 --> 00:40:11,995 This was not an aggrieved wife who was about to be divorced 689 00:40:12,037 --> 00:40:13,747 because her husband's having an affair, 690 00:40:13,788 --> 00:40:18,585 but rather a cold, calculating individual 691 00:40:18,626 --> 00:40:20,253 who did not want to lose the lifestyle 692 00:40:20,295 --> 00:40:21,880 that she was accustomed to. 693 00:40:22,964 --> 00:40:26,051 Rita snapped because she was going to lose everything. 694 00:40:26,092 --> 00:40:27,802 She was going to lose her kingdom. 695 00:40:29,137 --> 00:40:31,848 I have seen people, you know, killed, 696 00:40:31,890 --> 00:40:36,644 and dismembered to a degree, but not 66 pieces. 697 00:40:37,812 --> 00:40:39,689 [Stephen] There's a very consistent theme 698 00:40:39,731 --> 00:40:41,649 that she's very controlling, 699 00:40:41,691 --> 00:40:44,277 very manipulative, and very vindictive. 700 00:40:49,949 --> 00:40:51,284 [Tim] The main event, if you will, 701 00:40:51,326 --> 00:40:54,579 was their cross examination of Vladimir Zelenin 702 00:40:54,621 --> 00:40:57,457 and his involvement in the murder of, uh, 703 00:40:57,499 --> 00:40:59,542 Yakov Gluzman. 704 00:40:59,584 --> 00:41:02,462 It was an intense session. 705 00:41:02,504 --> 00:41:04,130 But at the end of the day, 706 00:41:04,172 --> 00:41:07,759 the defense really was not able to damage Vladimir Zelenin 707 00:41:07,801 --> 00:41:09,427 and his version of events. 708 00:41:15,183 --> 00:41:20,355 [Narrator] On January 29, 1997, the jury reaches a verdict. 709 00:41:21,815 --> 00:41:24,401 Rita Gluzman was found guilty of all the charges 710 00:41:24,442 --> 00:41:26,861 surrounding the incidents that happened in New York 711 00:41:26,903 --> 00:41:29,197 and New Jersey. 712 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:32,867 The judge did sentence her to life in prison without parole. 713 00:41:38,206 --> 00:41:39,833 [Narrator] Vladimir Zelenin is sentenced 714 00:41:39,874 --> 00:41:43,545 to 22-and-a-half years. 715 00:41:43,586 --> 00:41:48,258 The hardest part of this case was trying to understand 716 00:41:48,299 --> 00:41:53,304 why Vladimir Zelenin committed the crime the way he did. 717 00:41:53,346 --> 00:41:56,558 As a human being, you just have this feeling 718 00:41:56,599 --> 00:41:59,602 of there has to be a different way 719 00:41:59,644 --> 00:42:01,354 to resolve this issue that he faced. 720 00:42:03,148 --> 00:42:06,776 [Narrator] Vladimir is released in 2015. 721 00:42:06,818 --> 00:42:10,572 And 5 years later, despite her life sentence, 722 00:42:10,613 --> 00:42:13,783 Rita gets a chance for early release. 723 00:42:13,825 --> 00:42:18,038 She had beginning stages of Parkinson's Disease. 724 00:42:18,079 --> 00:42:21,708 Uh, while in jail she had suffered a number of, 725 00:42:21,750 --> 00:42:23,209 uh, mini strokes. 726 00:42:25,795 --> 00:42:29,257 The judge in, uh, July of 2020, 727 00:42:29,299 --> 00:42:31,926 grants Rita Gluzman compassionate release. 728 00:42:31,968 --> 00:42:34,054 She's 72 years old. 729 00:42:38,099 --> 00:42:41,019 [Andrea] She was given a compassionate release, 730 00:42:41,061 --> 00:42:44,189 which I find pretty ironic 731 00:42:44,230 --> 00:42:48,234 because she snuffed her husband's life out. 732 00:42:48,276 --> 00:42:50,070 So, I don't really feel as if it's fair 733 00:42:50,111 --> 00:42:53,073 that she's allowed to live in freedom. 734 00:42:57,118 --> 00:42:59,913 [Narrator] More than two decades after his murder, 735 00:42:59,954 --> 00:43:02,582 Dr. Gluzman's memory lives on, 736 00:43:02,624 --> 00:43:07,253 in his work, and in the hearts of his friends and colleagues. 737 00:43:08,421 --> 00:43:10,256 [Dr. Bruce] He will always be remembered here 738 00:43:10,298 --> 00:43:14,094 by those who knew him as a fantastic person, 739 00:43:14,135 --> 00:43:18,765 as an amazing intellect, as a, as a gentle giant. 740 00:43:18,807 --> 00:43:21,142 That's the way I remember him. 741 00:43:21,184 --> 00:43:24,896 And I will carry that memory for as long as I live. 742 00:43:28,316 --> 00:43:31,945 [music]